Anyone that follows Machine Head through Social Media has seen or at least read Rob Flynn’s rants and comments on society or current situations within the world. The new album, aptly named ‘Catharsis’, is the music behind the social commentary. Catharsis has 15 tracks, with some of the same Machine Head tracks that fans will love and then also a few curve balls that may take a couple of listens to understand the method in the madness.

The album kicks off with ‘Volatile’ and the statement ‘Fuck the World’. The track is a standard Machine Head track with all their usual skills involved with heavy groove laden riffage and breakdowns with pinch harmonics. The song also sets a standard on political and world view lyrical content for the rest of the album. Creating this album would have been incredibly draining process this time around. 15 songs dealing with their own views on the current state of the world and the suffering that is involved daily from people everywhere in every situation.

Catharsis, I feel may take fans a few listens before finding the diamonds in the rough. The album is heavy and groovy, just what the fans want to hear come from Machine Head but the albums more diverse tracks like Bastardsand Behind the Mask may have people skip over the tracks. Stand out tracks are Volatile, Catharsisand Hope Begets Hope. They show some of the same Machine Head song writing from the likes of The Blackening and Unto the Locust. Whilst tracks like California Bleedingand Triple Beam have a bit more of a Hip Hop style in Robs phrasing. The songs are dealing with either a to-do list in Cali or reminiscing of times past spent for Rob, either way they have ‘from the street’ nu metal vibe, which may throw some listeners out.

The track Bastardsis Rob having a go at the leaders of America wiping away the populations will to fight and telling his sons to stand up for what is right with the world. Whilst the message is true and clear, I think this is one of the busiest songs on the album. There is a guitar lead played over the acoustic guitar and vocals that then kicks into the heavier end of the song that rhythmically feels like a Dropkick Murphy’s Irish drinking song. With so much going on within the song I feel as if the message behind music may be lost slightly.

While this album is definitely Machine Head doing what they do best with their ‘Don’t give a fuck attitude’ I don’t think it stands up against their previous works like The Blackening and Unto the Locust. 15 songs is incredibly long for a single album and I’m curious at the number they had before cutting it down to this. The album would probably do well with a book that comes with it explaining all the ‘stories’ behind the lyrics, they sound like they are written from firsthand experience in the situations being dealt with, like the scenarios all throughout California Bleeding. I hope that the making of this album has been a Cathartic experience for Machine Head, whilst not being their best album, I still enjoyed listening and will be interested to see which ones they choose to bring to the live circuit.

After a completely SOLD OUT Australian Tour of epic proportions in 2015, Heavy Metal Icons MACHINE HEAD are set to make their triumphant return in 2018 and this time around they will be armed with their new album ‘Catharsis’ which entered the Australian ARIA Charts at Number 10.

“How the fuck are Machine Head getting better this far into their career?” – metalsucks.net

MACHINE HEAD have flown the flag for truth, integrity and creative desire in metal, starting with the earth-shattering prescience of 1994’s classic ‘Burn My Eyes’ and continuing through to 2014’s ‘Bloodstone & Diamonds, producinga series of albums that consistently redefined the very notion of heaviness and music while upholding an invigorating lyrical narrative that has turned the band into one of the few in modern times that can boast an unbreakable connection with the hearts and minds of the metal faithful.

“Machine Head totally blew the roof off, the doors open, and the windows out, blasting through selections spanning the entirety of their 20+ year career.” – metalsucks.net

With 7 Top 30 ARIA charting Albums and monstrous heavy weight songs like “Locust”, “Imperium”, “Now We Die’’, “Halo”, ‘’Aesthetics of Hate’’, ‘’Ten Ton Hammer’’ plus many more, it’s no wonder their Australian fan-base are chanting for their return. Machine Head shows are the next level of live experience. Front-man Robb Flynn is one of the most charismatic front-men in the world and they have towered above the competition with a ruthless determination and dedication to the cause.

“The crowd stomped their feet hard & chanted “Machine Fucking Head” until they reappeared creating an over whelming electric atmosphere so thick in density it was possible to see it.” – louderthanwar.com

A MACHINE HEAD live show is as much about the crowd as it is about the band. MACHINE HEAD do not just perform and leave – you’re in for highly energetic show, with bodies flying everywhere! Prepare yourselves to be bludgeoned by a wall of sound and leave the venue with ears ringing, voice boxes shredded and bodies crushed. MACHINE HEAD obliterates any notion that veteran bands can’t sustain their passion and intensity while also setting a new standard for sonic destruction and virility along the way.

“Unadulterated metal at its best and what better band to deliver such pummeling music than MACHINE HEAD.” – TheRockpit.net

San Francisco Bay Area metal titans MACHINE HEAD, will release their highly anticipated new album Catharsison January 26 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment. Today, the band has released a brand-new track from the album entitled “Beyond The Pale” here:

“I feel like metal could really infiltrate the mainstream with this album. And it needs to… now more than ever. A lot of consideration went into making these songs more identifiable to a wider audience. Simplifying ideas, simplifying hooks, really concentrating on story-telling as opposed to ‘brutal poetry’ or whatever. And while I’d love to say it was all some grand plan, there was no ‘plan’”Robb Flynnadds laughing. “You never know where you’re going to end up whenever you start writing a record… you just write… but I tell ya what… we ended up with a landmark here.Whenever you finish an album, you always feel proud, but this time… we’ve got something really special. We can feel it. We know it. ‘Catharsis’ could really elevate our genre.”

Catharsiswas produced by Robb Flynn and recorded, mixed, and co-produced by Zack Ohren (FALLUJAH, ALL SHALL PERISH) at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, CA. Mastering was handled by Ted Jensen (HATEBREED,ALICE IN CHAINS, DEFTONES) at Sterling Sound, New York, NY. Cover photography was created by Seanen Middleton.

To pre-order Catharsis visit this Get ‘’Beyond the Pale’’ as an instant grat on iTunes

Catharsis special edition bonus DVD track listing (filmed live at The Regency Ballroom, San Francisco, CA, 2015):
1. Imperium
2. Beautiful Mourning
3. Now We Die
4. Bite The Bullet
5. Locust
6. From This Day
7. Ten Ton Hammer
8. This Is The End
9. Beneath The Silt
10. The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears
11. Darkness Within
12. Bulldozer
13. Killers & Kings
14. Davidian
15. Descend The Shades Of Night
16. Now I Lay Thee Down
17. Take My Scars
18. Aesthetics Of Hate
19. Game Over
20. Old
21. Halo

Bloodstone & Diamonds World Tour 2014 – 2016 (Bonus Live CD for box set):
1. Clenching The Fists Of Dissent
2. Take Me Through The Fire
3. Now We Die
4. From This Day
5. Ten Ton Hammer
6. Locust
7. Desire To Fire
8. Killers & Kings
9. The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears
10. Crashing Around You
11. Darkness Within
12. Imperium
13. Block

Bloodstone & Diamonds World Tour 2014 – 2016 (Bonus Vinyl for box set):
Side One:
1. Clenching The Fists Of Dissent
2. Take Me Through The Fire
3. Now We Die

Side Two:
1. From This Day
2. Ten Ton Hammer
3. Locust

Side Three:
1. Desire To Fire
2. Killers & Kings
3. The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears
4. Crashing Around You

Side Four
1. Darkness Within
2. Imperium
3. Block

MACHINE HEAD wrapped up the touring cycle for their first Nuclear Blast Entertainment album Bloodstone & Diamonds in March 2016 with a whopping 283 concerts on 5 different continents around the world. Around 250 of those shows were performed as “An Evening With MACHINE HEAD” with no support bands and performances often lasting 2 1/2 to 3 hours in duration, much to their fans (called “Head Cases”) delight.

Three tours of the United States (with many dates sold out in advance), three tours of The U.K. / Europe, (including multiple dates in Russia and Greece), shows in Mexico and South America, a completely sold out run of 9 Australian / New Zealand shows, sold out dates in Japan, plus their first ever plays in Taiwan and Thailand, and all without any festival performances which the band publicly announced they would stop performing at in 2014.

Bloodstone & Diamonds debuted at #21 on the U.S. Billboard charts and has gone on to sell 285,000 copies worldwide.

MACHINE HEAD‘s latest track “Is There Anybody Out There?” released as a stand-alone, digital-only, non-album release became their #2 most streamed song ever on Spotify with 9 million streams in less than a year, and cracked the Top 40 on the Active Rock chart in the United States. It marks the first time for any Nuclear Blast artist to enter what is widely considered to be the “official rock chart” for the United States, and is significant considering there was no physical track sent to retail.